This is a story called Sister Bell!

M60 . . .
Recon River crossing


Sister Bell
© Copyright (1997) by: Dale Isbell


LZ Oasis, 7/66-11/66: I met Dale Rose in HHC 2nd 62nd
Mech. Infantry, 5th Mech. Div. Got levied for the 1st
Cav at the same time, and were both assigned to 'D'
Co. 2nd of the 5th Cav, Recon platoon. Rose was larger
than most guys so he immediately was given the M60 to
carry. Stupid thing, an M60, heavy, caught on every
vine, limb, twig, and wait-a-minute bush in the
jungle, and never got off more than 50 rounds before
it jammed.
      Crossing swollen streams occurred many times but
one day we came up against a raging stream that had to
be crossed. They tied a rope around one of the men
that thought he could swim anything. Guys from
California and Florida always seemed to think that
anyway. He swam the river and tied to a tree on the
other side. Since we all carried a short Swiss Seat
rope and 'D' ring we tied the rope around our chests
under our arms, hooked onto the rope with our 'D' ring
and headed across.
      About midway across in the raging current, I
hear Rose yell, "Oh God, Sister Bell!" My last name is
Isbell, so I turned back to look at him, he was behind
me. With eyes as large as saucers he said, "I dropped
the GD machinegun." We looked to the other bank where
the old man was standing and had witnessed the drop.
He was swelling up like a balloon and about to start
screaming. With tears in his eyes Rose reached up,
unsnapped his 'D' ring and went down under the water.
I'm frantically yelling and grabbing around under the
frothing water and after what seemed like an eternity
his hand came out of the water, grabbing me by the
neck, jerking me under, but the sucker had that damn
gun.
      Last I heard or saw of Dale Rose was a note and
a picture he sent me from the hospital in Japan. He
wrote, "They shot me in the belly, Sister Bell, but
you know how it goes: It's hard, but it's fair."